T. Shanmugapriya’s research while affiliated with Vellore Institute of Technology University and other places

The rise in carbon emissions poses a critical threat to global climate, necessitating a comprehensive analysis of buildings' whole lifecycle carbon emissions. Since buildings typically have extensive lifespans, analyzing their operational carbon emissions—emissions produced during their use phase- is critical. Building Information Modeling (BIM) facilitates the organization and exchange of various building information within virtual models and is a valuable tool for such studies. This paper introduces a method for gathering, analyzing, and presenting data on the operational carbon emissions of a typical house in India by combining Building Information Modeling (BIM) with building performance analysis (BPA) tools. It aims to support design teams in identifying and addressing carbon emissions hotspots, ultimately working towards reducing total operational carbon emissions. The study utilizes Autodesk Revit and Green Building Studio (GBS) for energy simulations, focusing on the design phase to address operational CO₂ emissions. India is used as a case study, with analyses conducted across five diverse climates: Ahmedabad (Hot and dry), Delhi (Composite), Kolkata (Warm and humid), Srinagar (Cold), and Tumakuru (Temperate). The simulation results underscore the significant potential for carbon emissions reduction using BIM across all climates. While Kolkata yields the smallest potential reduction in operational carbon emissions (approximately 50.67%), Tumakuru showcases the most substantial decline (around 75.55%). This research provides a practical benchmark for similar buildings in comparable regions worldwide and offers valuable insights into effectively reducing operational carbon emissions in the future.

Corrosion, which damages the rebar, is one of the main issues faced by reinforced concrete. In this study, a PVDF binder was combined with Zinc oxide and Nickel to increase the corrosion resistance of mild steel. The improved coating was tested using a simulated concrete pore solution. Changes in the characterization of the coating due to corrosion were evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) at the beginning and end of the process. The corrosion inhibition capacity was evaluated via open-circuit potential (OCP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and potential polarization experiments. The experimental findings demonstrate that the mild steel plate coated with a compound consisting of 0.75ZnO-0.25Ni/PVDF has exceptional corrosion resistance properties. The electrochemical tests were verified by an accelerated gravimetric test, which produced equivalent results and showed that the 0.75ZnO-0.25Ni/PVDF composites had an 87.47% corrosion inhibition capability. The electrochemical findings will serve as boundary conditions in COMSOL to model the coating and evaluate its effectiveness in a concrete rebar environment. The plots obtained from COMSOL include the electrolyte potential, electrolyte current density, and electrode potential. These results were compared for different samples, and the final result showed that the 0.75ZnO-0.25Ni/PVDF coating had the highest corrosion inhibition efficiency in a concrete rebar environment.